Elastic-hub shock absorber



oct. 27, 1925. Y 1,559,310

G. BROULHIET ELASTIC HUB SHOCK ABSORBER Oa. 27 A1925. 1,559,310

G. B RoULHxE'r ELASTIC HUB SHOCK ABSORBER Patented Oct. 27, 192,5.

UNITED STATES f A1,559,310 *PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGES BEOULHIET, oF sr, ETIENNE, FRANCE.

ELASTIC-HUB SHOCK AB'SORBER.

To all whom t may concern:

Be V1t known that I, Gnonens BnoULrrrE'i-,

` a citizen ofthe French Republic, residing in St. Etienne, France, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements inElastic- Hub Shock Absorbers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in an improved elastic hubV shock absorber, ythe objectY be ing to construct the hub arrangements ina manner to enable them to fulfill the conditions of functioning required by the vehicle-suspension theory hereinafter set forth. I. l

A motor vehicle running on uneven ground may be separated into two'parts'z- (l) That' which is compelled, by reason of its function, to follow 'the irregularities "of the road, such as the tyres, wheels and all the parts which are connected therewith without the interposition of any suspension device other than the tyre. To this part yof the vehicle the name rolling system7 :has been given.-v

(2) The rest of the vehicle, for which the suspension separating it from the rolling system should, if it is perfect, assure a strictly horizontal trajectory, without vertical rebounds, that is to say' without shocks or accelerations. This portion of the vehicle is termed the suspended body.

Thus the suspension of a motor vehicle, in the sense in which it is most generally referred to, may be defined as the part serving to connect the rolling system with the suspended body and should be constructed under the best conditions possible so as to assure a horizontal trajectory vof the body, on the one hand, and on the'other hand to secure for the rolling system the best vfunctionary conditions. e

It will be understood that the rolling system is subjected to vertical accelerations. It is only in the case where the road is perfect-ly level that its movement is purely a horizontal trajectory.

But the rolling system is .a moving device suspended between two resilientrelements, namely Vthe suspension of the vehicle and the tyre. Theory in respect to the best system of body suspension indicates that the suspension between the rolling system and the body should be Aperfectly elastic and should exclude absorption of work. If, therefore, the tyre is not capable of absorb- 1,2- i" application mea March 21, 1924. lserial No. 700,365.

ing work, thev'ertical oscillations of the rolling system engendered by the irregr'ilarities of the road will notbereduc'ed and will not cease. This is what happens most Afrequently and the discomfort lof motor vehicles is due more to the rebounds of the rolling` system on the ground than to the rebounds of the body on its suspension. f

vThere 'exists apparatus whichelin'iinates the rebounds ofthe body on its suspension.

Devices' for eliminating the rebounds of the rolling system on the ground or preventing synchronous oscillations vfrom being produced without; detriment to the body suspen-A sion are being investigated in various quarters and have not yet passed into practical f use.

To solve this problem, alarge number of investigators have thoughtit was sufficient merely to suspend thev axle of the wheel by means of a purely elastic hub. This means i' alone is not sufficient, for the following reasons:

Atthe moment of passing an obstacle if the undercarriage or the wheel, i. e..a portion of the rolling system, is jerked vertically by the obstacle acting as a spring board, this part of the rolling system immediately borrows from the motor of the rvehicle a dynamic energy equal to 1/2 of M V2, M being 85 the mass of the rolling'system and V the maximum vertical speed of the jerking movement of the obstacle, It is known that the pendulous movement of the rolling system, interposed between the tyre andthe suspension of the vehicle, will cease only when the dynamic energy equal to 1/2, of vM V2 has been completely absorbed, eitherl by rthe-passiveV forces of the Arolling system orfM by suitable devices arrangedV at the proper places. y y

It may be observed, however, that the amount of energy to be overcome is proportional tothe mass, thereforeto the weight of the rolling system, andy is proportional also vto the square of the speed of movement in the vertical direction. y

Thevspeed of the movement is evidently a function ofthe speed of the'vehiole and the nature of the obstacle on the road. It 1,05 is a constant which is independent of the constructive conditions of Y the vehicle. Therefore, the dynamic energy must be overcome in order'to absorb shocksv on the rolling system can only'be diminished by re- 111,0

ducing the mass of the rolling system., the sole factor of dynamic energy connected with the vehicle.

The above explanation is given in order to show that the aim of the investigators Whose efforts were directed to the embodiment of a purely elastic hub has been to substitute the elasticity of the hub for the suspension. rlihe consequence of such substitution would be that the hub- Would need to have an elastic displacement equal in ex tent to the displacement of the suspension which the sai-d hub is to replace;

If such a device were embodied, the Weight of the rolling systemA would be reducedv to the Weight of the Wheel arranged about an elastic hub and the dynamic energy to be absorbed in absorbing the rebound of' the Wheel on the ground would then be of the lowest possible amount. t is` seen, therefore, that the problem may be Worked out to exact figures and assumes` as an extreme arrangement the form. of an, elastichub with a large displacement in which the dynamic energy to be reduced has the smallest value.

It is, therefore, comprehensible that according' as the possible` path ofl movement of the hub is diminished, so theI dynamicener-gy to be overcome in the huib becomes greater andgreater because the dynamic energy of the rolling system. set in oscillation by the irregularities of the road will continue to increase.

Onthis theory, the applicant has constructed apparatus which he has called cent-re brake. This apparatus. is reduced systematically to a hub shifting elastically in; the Wheel and a device arranged in parh allel for absorbing energy by friction. Friction and the elastic device have been combined in such a manner that the same spring acts on the elastic device andengenders the friction. Vllhey haue also been so combined that the ratio of thel energy overcome by friction tothe energy elastical-l y restored may be kept constant in practice Theinvention will be described with reference to the4 accompanying two sheets of diagrammatic drawings, in Wl-n'chz" Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a wheel and lnib hav-ingv the invention applied.

Figs, 2r and 2 arerespectiyely a section and? elevation to an.- enlarged scale, of a seating for the ball bearings shoivnini Fig. 1'.

F ig. Slis-1 a fragmentary section to an enF larged scale of a friction member shown in l. Y l Figs. 4. and ll areftvvo detail. sections of ball bearings, and their seatings, the balls being mounted in cages.v

Fig. 5 isa vertical section showing a modified arrangement of a Wheel hub having thevinvention applied.

Fig. 6.`isja similar section showing. a further' modification.

Fig.i is a section of a hub and Wheel similar to those in Fig. 1. Y

Figs. 8, 8, 9, and 9 are diagrammatic Views illustrating the prolilesof ball seatings.

Lilie parts in the several figures are denoted by like reference numerals or letters.

The deviceillustrated in Fig. l comprises as an essential part a hub 1, proyidedrwith a friction surface 2, a false hub or-drum 3, having a friction piece l rubbing on the surface 2 of the hub 1. This drum carries internally a series of seatings to receive on their faces balls 6. These balls are also housed in a counlei seating 7 carried by a disc 8 to which they are fitted. Each seating has provided on its face recess or depression.

This disc 8 is capable of `sliding longitur` dinally, by means'. of its' opening 9, cnthe hub 1 about Whichl it rota-tes. A spring of any shape, but which may be; helical as shown at 15 (Fig. 1) or at 15 (Fig-L 5)., presses the disc 8 against the balls. riihe spring may, however, be constituted by elleville washers as illustratedI at 15b in Fig. 6. The balls transmit the thrust to the drum, which.transmits it to the friction disc or piece 4.; on the drum 3 is lined, in any i-nanner, the n' iccl 13 carrying the tyre ills; in the presentv case lv have showny a Wheel` 13 of the Michelin type carrying the tyre 14.

A nut 10, screwed on the hub, permits of tightening the spring and of adjustment for obtaining a suitable set or compression. The abone described( arrangement of the apparatus has not snfticed to produce aA good functioning ofv the Whole. The following modified arrangements have thereforebeen applied to the arrangement:

lfihen the apparatus isv in operation and the seati-nlfffs are displaced, balls roll in the seatings thereby separating them and compressing lthe spring. The result that the force of friction and the elastic force tending to` returnthc balls to' the centre of the seating increase proportionately to the compression of the spring. This' is. a drawback, because from the very beginning. of the movement the damped elastic hub loses' its sensitiveness. lit is of advantage that the force opposed to the vdisflilacement of the centre of the hub inthe hubfshould remain nearly constant about a value slightly higher than the load of the Wheel; It is not neces'- sa-ry that this force should increase.

If the seatings were strictly conical and ifthe spring While being strained did not increase in strength, that is to say it it had infinite flexibility, the conditionl sought Would be realized,- but i-t can only be attained: by employing an infinitely flexible spring, the WeightV and bulk ofV which would be prohibitive. The arrangement employed consists in giving to the seatings an inclinalll() lll) tion which diminishes according the further a point on the face isfrom the centre of the depression, so that as the ball withdraws4 from the'centre it meets with a surface less inclined. The section of a seating fulfilling this requirement has a sinuous profile y0r configuration somewhat resembling a print# ers bracket, as is seen in Fig. 2.

Inv the seating shown by way of example, the initial inclination is one of about 60 and that of the end portion about BOO.' Such a seating assures the following functioning: ln the displacement of the hub the spring is compressed andthe frictional force increases but thel diminutiongof the slope on which the ball rolls in the seating gives a componentten'ding Vto return the balls to the" centre, which component continues to diminish, and the seating inclination may even be constructed in such a manner that the Adiminution of the centre restoring force is exactly' equal to the increase in the fricti'onal force. i The curve a b in Fig. 2 is the path suitable for the centre of the' ball to follow, in order to obtain thefaforesaid effect, The section or' profile ofthe seating lis'determined A`bythe curve of the pathY ofV the exterior of the ball, the :centre of which is displaced in accordance with this curve. When the ball reaches the end `of its course at the point Z) its position limits definitely along the arc ab the form of the extension of the section of the seating. It will be seen that when the ball has its centre at the point b it rests in accordance with the arc a bf in the bottom of the seating andhcannot go any farther.y This arrangement permits of'dispensing with all other driving Systems.'

The elastic hub may therefore be reduced, from the drive point of view, vto the diagrammaticsimplicity of Fig. 1 without providing, even for braked wheels,'any Other devices for producing rotary movement than the balls in the seatings; a seating whichis not provided with the profile described above may also very well producea 'driving movement but the value of the torque of thev h movement cannot exceed the torque of theY elastic reaction providedfor in its construetion. The'steeper inclinationgiven to the marginal portions of the seat-ings consti# tutes a `safety device and prevents the `balls i from leaving their recesses. 55' i i vThe wheel and hub construction in Fig. 1 is completed by the Vflange l1 forming part of the drum 3.V In order that the balls may notfall out from between theseatings, the

/distance from theflange 11 to the disc or seating-carrier 8, movable on the axle, is'less than the distance whichV the seatings would have'to bei separated to enablethe balls to fall out. Y

Experience shows that if the ball device can function dry without being lubricated,

the rubbing surface preserves a constant friction coefficient only if its'lubrication is constantly assured under the same conditions. For this purpose, the central part of the' friction surface 2 is, as 'shown in Fig. 3, hollowed so that when the drum 3 leaves ,the centre there remains at; 12, between y*the hub and the friction member, a free space filled by the lubricating matter which is enclosed in the apparatus and with in relation to the hub l, the locking nut" tends to be loosened owing to its adherence tothe spring 15 which participates in the movements ofthe piece 8. v f Y y To obviate this inconvenience, a stop device,fsuch as a thrust ball bearing as shown, for example, at c in Fig. 45 'may be inserted between the spring and its adjusting nut or, what amounts to the same'fthing', between the spring and the disc carrying the seatfv ings. 1 l

The drum 3a, which is closed by a bolted joint and which once it is closed does not allowthe balls to escape from theirseatings, constitutes, by reason of its arrangement, a detachable whole which may be withdrawn from the 'axle carrying the hub without any internal demounting being necessary.y To

remove'the hub, it is only necessary to re-` move the axle casing cap f, loosen the'r spring and to withdraw the hub by sliding the whole of the parts in the drum 3a over thev hub, the wheel carrying the hub being thus withdrawn 1n one piece and, without removal of theballs, permits examination of a footpath for instance, the friction discs may separate, so that the'balls Yare no longer in contact with the seatings and 'leave their normalv positions, but when the hub returns to its o-perativeposition the balls return to their places, not by rolling but with a-s'liding movement which impairs the balls and the seatings. y n When the seatings are not furnished with thej recoil device described above, it may also happen that the balls will escape from their' recesses. When the wheel transmits'a couple, a working diagraln shows that there are never more than three balls in actual contact, while the other balls leave their normal position. In this case and when the couple ceases and the wheel returns to the 'centre,lthe balls' return to their position,

seatings happento become loose. A: drawingclearly shows. that Whatever may be the position. of rotation orrradial displacement olV the seatings ofA the hub and ot: the scatings of the. drum, the exact position of the centres oiithe balls is on a4 circle.

@nl this circle ane the centres of the holes ofthefballycage. This ball cage may be constituted either in a manner identical with4V th-at of ordinary ball bearings, or by a single thinplate. In the. for-mer case, during erection, all the balls are held in the cage; inithelater case, they must be placed in the cage during. a itting opera-tion (Figi 4).

'Ehe above mentioned' arrangements are shown inl the tvvoy accompanying drawings which are given as examples. The hub 1FL, showin in Fig; 5, is an elastic huby shocl'absorber foi; motor vehicles,` and in the ligure is seen the sectional form ot they seatings Withl sinuous proiiles h and 1l, the parts 8a and, lltconstituting the drum,y the movable seating: carrier 8, the recess CZ for lubrication of the frictional part, the thrust ball bearings e constituting a recoilr stop, the aXle casing cap` 7. closing the drum and, iinally, the ball cage g.

The hub 1* shown. in.y Fig. 6, is suitable for a grin-carriage Wheel. Iit shows the same arrangements as the foregoing. The only difference is that the Wheel is not de.- tachable, the base of the Wooden spokes being fixed directly on the drum constituted bythe parts 3b and lll and thel axle cap 10b arranged at the endbeing perforated to permit the removal of the vend. axle-pin externally ot the apparatus.` A sliding plate and a: packingl ring assure liqiiid tightness of the casing. The hub lb is provided with the recess Z2 for lubrication purposes.

The device shown in Eig. 7 enables the bulk and Weigh-t of the apparatus to be reduced by the; considerable proportion of nearly one halt.

rLhis arrangement consists in.- dividingor truncating in Fig. 1 the seatings 5 of thel movable1 part 3 along the line` X, and the seatings on the piece 8 sliding ony the hub along the line Y, so that, when seen in section and elevation, the seatings of' the movable part appear according to. the. arrangements of Figs. 8 and 8n and the scatings on the part sliding on the hub according to the arrangements of Figs. 9 and 9a.

Itis Seen; that the size of the seatings: as a whole is. reducedA by twice the value ot the truncature.

Fig. E represents the same apparatus as that shown in Eig. l in which the diameter which. theyk are to roll; biittliis involves no, disadvantage since, at most, less thanhall'offV the balls are concernedv in` thiscase andi all the seatings pla-y the same part in the. action of the mechanism on the vehicle, While the.

resultant offA the transmitted forces-.is not; altered. To prevent the balls which escape fromithe support from. fallinginto the cas? ing, they are mounted in acage as referredl to. above.

Inthe elastic hubshock absorber for automobiles, the spring l5, shoivn in Eig. 1;, isa

helical spring;` In the elastic hub tor, guncanriage Wheels (Fig. 6) thespring;v lhris com posed ofy Belleville Washers, but 'the use offa.- recoil device for the. movable seating..-

carriei is obviated, since the springs, oncev they are. compressed, themselves form thrust beatings between.l the d-riini and the movable sea-ting-carrier- Having thus descnibed the nature ot the said invention anch the best means I know otcarryingthesainev into practical eifectglj claim:-

An, elastic hub shock, absorben for ve.- liicles, comprising in combination.V With,V an`= axle, a.v hub. having al friction surface, av

Wheel, a drnm. secured tosaid Wheeli coaxial with and displaceablfe in a radial direction.. relatively torsaid hub, aI friction piece car ried by saidi drii-m and in. fractional engage.- rnent with said friction surtace, a disc slid.L

able on the hub enclosed. thef drum, a set off seating-s mounted on and,r internally ofl said dimm, asecond. set of seating-son. said disc, the two sets of' seatings being oppositeify clisposed relatively to one another, balls en-`V closed between said sctsiofi seatings, resilient means.- for pressing said@ dise against the balls, and means; for adjustingthe set of the said resilient means, 'each ot said seatings having-al depressionl on its facethe curvature ot which; dfiminishesthefurther it is from; the axis of the hub.

2. An elastic hub shock absorber for vehicles, comprisingr in combination with. an axle, a hub having a friction surface, a Wheel, a drum seciined: toI sa-idfV Wheel coaxial withg and displaceable in. a radialy direction relatively to said hub, a iiriction piece carried by said drum andl in frictional engagement with said, friction surface, disc slidable onv the hub enclosed in the drum, a set of seatings mounted on and internally ot said drum, a second set of seatings on said disc, the two. sets of sea-tings being oppositely disposed relatively to one another, balls enclosed between said sets ofi seatings, resilient means4 for pressing` said, disc against the balls, means for adjustingthe set of the said resilient means, and means interposed between the sliding disc and said set adjusting means for limiting the sliding movement of the disc, each of said seatings having a depression on its face the curvature of which diminishes the further it is from the axis of the hub.

3. An elastic hub shock absorber for vehicles, comprising in combination with an axle, a hub having a friction surface, a wheel, a drum secured to said wheel coaxial with and vdisplaceable in a radial direction relatively to said hub, al friction piece carried by said drum and in frictional engagement with said friction surface, a disc slidable on the hub enclosed in the rdrum,a set of seatings mounted on and internally7 of said drum, a second set of seatings on said disc, the two sets of seatings being oppositely disposed relatively to one another, balls enclosed between said sets of seatings, resilient means for pressing said disc against the balls, means for adjusting the set of the said resilient means, and means interposed between the sliding disc and saidvset adjusting means for limiting the sliding movement of the disc, said limiting means consisting of a thrust ball bearing, each of said seating having a depression on its face the curvature of which diminishes the further it is from the axis of the hub. j

4. An elastic hub shock absorber for vehicles, comprising in combinationy with an axle, a hub having a friction surface, a wheel, a drum secured to said wheel coaxial 4with and displaceable in a radial direction balls housed in said cages, resilient means for pressing said disc against the balls, and means for adjusting the set of the said resilient means each of v said seatings having a depression on its face the curvature of which diminishes the further it is from the axis of the hub.

In witness whereof I have signed my namev to this specification.

GEORGES BROULHIET. [Ls] 

